Accept challenges bigger than yourself. But, share the load or fail. Those good at accepting challenges may be lousy at delegating challenges. Prepare to crash and burn if you can’t share the load.

Delegate – Elevate – Perpetuate

Delegate in ways that elevate performance. Challenge; don’t protect or coddle. Expect team mates to step-up.

Passion to excel motivates you to take on challenges. Career making moments arrive when you feel you’ve taken on too much. Do you pull back and protect or perpetuate success by expecting others to perform?

Stepping up, eventually destroys those who can’t call others to step up.

Has your passion to get ahead or help others caused you to take on too much? Now what?

What suggestions help those good at accepting challenges but weak at giving them?

Regular times with a mentor for wise and loving counsel helps bring me out of the clouds and help me get my feet back on the ground.

AA Big Book(paraphrasing) any business not taking a regular inventory is doomed to fail.

Found it interesting as I thought back have worked with people who felt they bit off more than they could chew but hung in there and found they could do more than they thought. Hope that happens more, feels good to help others accomplish more than they knew they had in them.

If you are part of a team, how do you get the rest of the team to support taking on yet another project or one others avoid? I am struggling with that concept, that we as a team need to do this or that; but, the team isn’t interested in anything else. I can’t change teams, either. the team is set with the personnel. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

We must stop trying to drag the reluctant few to get on board with ideas. Take the ones who are ready to move forward and work toward solving the problem and leave the rest behind. They will eventually either realize that they are being left behind and rush to get on board or they will sit and wait for a project that they want t o get behind. Either way, the group is better and can get farther without the extra weight of those reluctant to work.

So often, “stepping up” is touted as the path to being a leader. I appreciate that this post is pointing out the shadow side to raising your hand – that it’s possible to take on more than you can handle. Then what?

It’s easy to underestimate how difficult an assignment will be. You are absolutely correct that the only way to “swim” rather than “sink” will be to rally others to your side.

This struck a chord. Raise your hand, yes. Take on challenges, yes. Both lead to opportunities and learning, but recognize what must be given up in order to take on more. Also, recognize the impact on others and put a plan in place to ensure others who rely on you and may have less of you are not left out or feel left out. Yes .. a lesson learned the hard way.

I have a tendency to take on all challenges, which can make for a overwhelming fear of letting everyone down. But I also know that when that feeling arrives the process of delegation can feel like a great weight is lifted. Last week while feeling overwhelmed I asked for help from a new employee. I knew that this employee would need a great deal of supervision but it would still free me up to do other things. At the end of the week, I thanked him and let him know how helpful it was to have him working on the project. His response was, really I thought I was slowing you down. When I assured him this wasn’t true, I saw him sit up straighter in his chair. Think I’m going have any problems getting him to take on bigger challenges in the future?

I love this question (although there should be a question mark at the end in your post…that’s the grammar police in me Dan)

“Do you pull back and protect or perpetuate success by expecting others to perform?”

POW-ER-FUL.

I mean really, how many of us actually expect the completely underqualified, overworked assistant to succeed at sales when the sales staff is all sick and you can’t handle the leads yourself?

So what happens? Odds are they probably fail.

But what would happen…oh to dream…what would happen if we believed in him and made sure they knew we believed in him? Is it possible that he just make surprise you? I’ve seen the exact thing happen. It’s a thing of beauty.

So true, Dan.
So often in clients’ companies I see managers keeping their heads below the parapet and failing to take ownership of issues – sometimes even to the point of avoiding their own responsibilities!
One insightful senior manager recently asked me to prepare a series of leadership workshops for his leadership team based around Leading by Example, Go Look See, Ownership & Problem Solving. So, hopefully in his organisation we’ll see an improvement.
Kicking off next month🙂

Thank you for this post Dan! It’s really exciting to be reminded how risky, yet rewarding stepping up and raising the bar can be. The ability to raise the bar while working as a team is priceless in a company.